


Strum on my heartstrings

by TheLudo_of_life



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: All is good and everyone is happy, Canon Divergence, M/M, Merlin and Gwen are proud and happy bffs, Redeemed Morgana (Merlin), The Pendragon siblings learn what fun is, also everyone is alive, it's what they deserve, merlin fluff, merthur fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLudo_of_life/pseuds/TheLudo_of_life
Summary: Yuletide celebrations are in full swing. Arthur and Morgana have no clue what celebrations actually feel like.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	Strum on my heartstrings

**Author's Note:**

> Just some soft, festive fluff.

“Merlin, could you toss me my belt?”

Arthur called out from behind the dividing screen as he pulled his tunic down. Hearing no response, he tried again.

“Merlin?”

Silence again.

Arthur peeked out of the screen and looked around the room, to find Merlin peering out of the window, his face lit up with a smile as he looked on at… whatever was happening outside. Arthur smiled, a little absently. This was reminiscent of when, several years ago, festivities for his birthday were in full swing and Merlin could barely tear his gaze away from the circus and processions. He had seemed so excited about it all.

Of course, that was many moons ago when he was still full of hope and positivity and sunshine.

After that, disaster struck one after the other and Arthur had seen Merlin slowly lose his smile, his sleep, and himself. He had known the real reason much later, though, when Merlin had revealed his magic to save Arthur from yet another near-fatal attack by Morgana. And though matters came to a head and they all talked it out (perhaps a bit too fiercely), the emotional wounds were too deep to just forgive and forget immediately. The fractured relationships began mending, slow but sure.

It had been a tough couple of years after that, repealing laws and making new ones, and then implementing them. And then there was the matter of dealing with the tough opposition against magic. There had been meetings and councils and treaties and more meetings, and Arthur felt like his head would burst. Only the thought that he could fall asleep in Merlin’s arms at the end of the day, kept him going.

And now, after what felt like ages, Camelot was celebrating again. It was Yuletide, and the frost everywhere did little to deter the people from gathering out in the open to join the festivities.

Arthur slowly walked up to the window and looked out. He saw, in the distance, a bonfire being set up. Food stalls were opened and flowers and wreaths adorned the houses and heads of many of the people there. Some had brought out musical instruments and Arthur could faintly hear them tuning their instruments. He turned his attention to Merlin, who looked like he was lost in thoughts, staring into the distance. Arthur gently caressed the nape of his neck, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Sorry,” Merlin said, sheepishly, “I was just remembering the Yuletide season back at Ealdor, when I was little.”

Arthur smiled. “What was it like?”

“Oh there’s so much to it!” Merlin squeaked, making Arthur chuckle. “There’s singing and dancing and praying and delicious treats and staying up waaay past bedtime and making mum anxious and…”

He stopped to take a breath. 

“Oh but Arthur, the dancing is the BEST part!! I remember how Will and I, along with all the other kids would just skip and dance our hearts out around the bonfire… I still remember the steps to the songs. In fact, I’ll teach you some of them in the evening when we get there,” he finished, still a bit breathless.

Arthur blinked at him, “All that sounds like great fun, really. But I won’t be attending the festivities, you know that, right?”

“Why the hell not?!”

“Well because I’m the king, and royals do not attend such gatherings.”

Merlin narrowed his eyes at him.

Arthur grimaced. “….at least, that’s what my father taught me….”

To which he was promptly graced by the Gaius-eyebrow from Merlin.

“….which probably means it was wrong.” He finished, cautiously. To his relief, Merlin smiled at him. Well, a half-smile at least.

“Good,” Merlin turned towards him and leaned against the wall, “So you will be accompanying me in the evening, then?”

“Merlin, I…” he scratched the back of his head, “I have never attended such festivities down in the village before, and I won’t know what to do there. And besides, me being there is only going to make everyone self-conscious. No one would really let go and enjoy. It’s probably best I stay right here in the palace.”

Merlin reached up and cupped Arthur’s face. He rubbed his thumbs over the bags under his eyes gently.

“Arthur, everyone’ll be fine. And speaking of ‘letting go and enjoying’, _you_ should be the one actually doing that. Trust me, this will do you a lot of good.”

Arthur sighed. Truth be told, he did feel suffocated within the palace walls. He absolutely needed a break. But he couldn’t shake off this feeling that his father might have been right about this. He and Morgana had always been taught to not mingle with the peasants, although he believed it to be an issue of security more than status.

And now, free as he was to leave, he felt a tad insecure. He felt almost certain that he would somehow end up embarrassing himself, and Merlin, and all his subjects. He also suspected that Merlin needed a break from him, not that he ever showed it or voiced it out. Surely, being the most powerful being, he could have literally done anything, gone anywhere. And yet he chose to stay by his side, to love him, to help him re-build and rule his kingdom. Arthur was eternally grateful to him for that and did not want to mess up anything for Merlin.

He made his excuses again. “I’m sorry, Merlin. But after the council meet and the speeches and the feast tonight, I’ll be very tired. You, of course, are excused from it all today. Go, drink and dance away, enjoy yourself, but only till tomorrow,” he said, giving a weak laugh and walked off to get dressed.

Merlin frowned, but Arthur was gone before he could protest.

Later, in the evening, King Arthur addressed the people of Camelot. He wished them, and thanked them for their loyalty and support. As he finished, the crowd broke out in applause, and one young druid lad shot up a spark out of his palm, which exploded into fireworks in the sky. Morgana peered from behind a pillar as she witnessed it all. Just a few years ago, the boy would have been hanged to death then and there. But now, there were only cheers and laughs. Even Arthur was chuckling as he slipped his hand into Merlin’s, who tightened his grip. She looked on with a fond smile on his face.

As the crowds dispersed for the festivities, Merlin turned to Arthur again and asked him to join him. But he just shook his head and planted a kiss on his forehead. Pouting, Merlin left and ran to catch up with Gwen and Lancelot.

Arthur turned back to the palace with a sigh. He spotted Morgana, and beckoned her to join him. She linked arms with her brother, and they walked back in silence. When they reached Arthur’s chambers, he closed the door behind them.

“Care for a drink?” he asked.

Morgana nodded.

He poured out some wine into two glasses, as she watched, amused.

“I didn’t know you would pour your drinks out yourself, brother,” she teased.

Arthur huffed. “I’ll have you know I’m quite capable of fending for myself, Morgana,”

She giggled. They sipped their drinks in comfortable silence.

“Arthur,” she asked, “Why did you not go down there with Merlin and the others?”

“Because we shouldn’t.”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “Ugh… is it because of our crappy childhood and overbearing insensitive father’s strict instructions that he swore was for our own good but he was really only making good for himself all those years back?”

Arthur raised his eyebrows and stared at his sister for a long while.

“Yep. That’s pretty much it.”

“Well get over it and go have fun, for once in your life.”

“Why the hell are you not down there already?”

“Uhh…” she hesitated. “Not really in the best relations with everyone just yet, am I..”

He smiled at her sympathetically and patted the back of her hand across the table.

“I’m just glad _we_ are on good terms again…. Relatively speaking,” he laughed.

Morgana leaned across the table. “Truth be told, I really want to attend the celebrations right now. But I can’t, unless...” she sighed dramatically, “...the king attends it with me!”

Arthur snatched his hand away.

“Nope. No way.”

“C’mon, Arthur! Don’t you remember how dismal Yuletide was when we were kids?”

They recalled all the times they had, as kids, pleaded with Uther to let them go only to be scolded and sent back to bed.

Arthur scowled at the memories.

“Remember how we almost got Gaius fired when we persuaded him to sneak us out?”

“And Uther placed guards outside our windows to prevent us from climbing down!”

“And we would end up dancing and tumbling to the songs right here, in this room,”

They both giggled.

Arthur dragged his hands across his face.

“Fine, we’ll go.” He flinched as Morgana squealed.

“BUT,” he continued, “we’re not going as royalty.”

“Deal.”

The festivities were in full swing. It was bright and vibrant, and the huge bonfire crackled merrily, occasionally sending out sparks. All around it, people were jigging about at random, to their own beat. Merlin and Elyan were busy taunting Gwen and Lancelot for being all lovey-dovey with each other, and though they both blushed furiously, neither seemed bothered. Leon nudged them to look at Percival sneaking a flower crown onto Gwaine’s hair as he was busy downing his tumbler of mead.

As the tempo of the music picked up, more people began gathering around the bonfire. Merlin recognized the song being played; it was one of his favourites. Apparently, Gwen did too, for her eyes sparkled with recognition. They shared a look, and ran over to join in the dance. Almost immediately, they fell into synchronised steps as though they had been practising for forever. The others joined in, and they linked arms and clapped and skipped about, seemingly at random, and yet in rhythm.

Merlin felt younger and lighter than he had ever felt. He closed his eyes for a split second as images of his childhood, his mother, his village came flooding back. All of a sudden, he snapped his eyes open. Somehow, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was being watched. Intently.

He scanned the crowds, trying to discern who, if anyone at all, was watching him. But before he could focus his vision, the song changed and he was pulled back into the dance.

Three more songs later, the group broke out of the circle, giddy and giggling and exhausted. They bought some snacks and as they were devouring it all, Merlin tried once more to figure out whoever was staring at him all night long. He saw nothing was out of the ordinary, except the glimpse of a figure in a teal-coloured cloak that seemed vaguely familiar, though he could not place it. He racked his brains for a while, but gave up for the moment.

A few minutes later, a new song started playing. It was more upbeat than the last, and though Merlin’s feet were itching to dance, he was too weary. As the dance began again, he saw that the man in the teal cloak was accompanied by a lady in peach and white, who was currently dragging him by the arm into the circle. Both their faces were hidden by the hoods of their cloaks.

Sitting beside him, Gwen gasped.

“I could swear I have the exact same dress back home.” She said.

That got Merlin to focus on the man again.

The man seemed stiff and hesitant initially, as though unsure of how to progress. He was matching steps with the lady, but very mechanically. She, however, was lithe and graceful from the start. Slowly, with each step, his confidence seemed to grow as he showed some vigor. They appeared more expressive, even though their faces were still hidden. Their movements seemed strained, yet child-like.

Soon, they were twirling and prancing in full speed and seemed to forget themselves. The man threw his head back and laughed out, making his hood slip back, revealing his face.

The entire party gasped, in shock, to find King Arthur and the Lady Morgana dancing and celebrating in their midst. It took a few moments, but Arthur gathered himself and apologized for crashing their festivities, to which the people shrugged it off and invited him to please stay and join the merriment. He glanced at his sister and almost accepted the offer, when he spotted Merlin and the others in the distance gaping at him, Gwaine’s expression taunting and challenging. Arthur quickly made his excuses, promised to be back soon and tried to escape, but to no avail. They were both cornered by Merlin and Gwen and the rest, and thus the teasing and accusations began.

“Looks like someone changed their mind,”

“Did you just let yourself laugh? In public?!”

“Hey Morgana, I wonder where you got that gown from,”

“The royals engaging with the commoners? Oh, what has the world come to?”

Amidst all the chaos, Merlin managed to drag Arthur out to a more secluded place.

Arthur scratched his head absently.

“Ahh… Merlin, I’m sorry for all that before…”

“Hey,” Merlin brought Arthur’s hand down and kissed his knuckles, “I’m just glad you’re here.”

Arthur exhaled. “I suppose I embarrassed you in front of literally the entire kingdom with all that… prancing we did,”

“What? Arthur, no! That was the happiest I have seen you in years! And all that ‘prancing’ you and Morgana did, was adorable, at the very least. And dare I say, it looked…. Practised? Like you’ve been rehearsing that for years, maybe?” he smirked.

That was enough to rile Arthur up.

“Ok we would NEVER voluntarily learn a silly little _bonfire_ dance, let alone show it off in public. And that’s not only because we were never allowed to, or taught that it’s beneath us. This was just our way of attempting to have fun as children, and _someone_ thought it a fun idea to relive those days.”

Merlin had been chuckling quietly throughout his little rant. When he looked up, his eyes teary, he saw Arthur giving him a death glare which sent him into another fit of laughter.

“Arthur, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Seriously. No one is going to find fault in the king’s dancing, especially since said king was mingling with the people as one of their own. Of course, you still have me and Gwaine to deal with,” he grinned.

Arthur looked away and flushed.

“And I believe, this,” he grabbed at the cloak pulled the king closer, their noses touching, “Is mine.”

“You can have it back after you teach me your little bonfire dance, so I may be better prepared for next year.”

He closed the distance between them and kissed Merlin softly. The wind turned chilly, and Merlin shivered. Arthur wrapped the cloak around them both, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Merlin sighted contentedly. After a few blissful moments, he pulled his head back and looked at the king.

“I’d rather not have the cloak back, instead of teaching _you_ the steps,” he said, teasingly. “You’d only be grumbling and tripping all over yourself throughout.”

Arthur, who was staring at Merlin’s swollen lips, snapped his attention back to his deep blue eyes. “You’re one to talk, aren’t you? I’m only surprised you haven’t knocked yourself and everyone else out already. And I’ll have you know I’m proper trained in a far more graceful dance—”

Merlin cut in. “Graceful, but not fun, is it?”

“I- well yes, but,” he pouted, and shook his head making Merlin lean in and peck his cheek, “I bet you wouldn’t last a day trying to learn the ballroom dance, with all its poise and balance”

Merlin took up the challenge.

“Try me.”

As if on cue, soft music floated in from the distance. It was well into the night, and the people had started retreating back to the cozy comfort of their homes. Only a few men and women stayed back, finishing their drinks and huddling close by the fire. The musicians were closing out for the season with slow, melodious tunes.

Arthur stepped back from Merlin, but only for a moment, bowed and held out his hand reverently.

“May I have this dance?”

Merlin took his hand oh-so-gently, and slid his other hand under Arthur’s cloak, around his waist. Arthur chuckled.

“First move, and you’re doing it wrong already. See, your arm should be-“

“Just hold me close. Please.”

Arthur tugged him close and slid his free arm over Merlin’s toned shoulder. He tangled his fingers in the jet black locks, which shone a deep shade of blue in the moonlight. As Merlin rested his head on his shoulders, Arthur breathed in the faint flowery smell of his hair, perhaps left behind by a floral crown he had worn but had fallen off and was now long forgotten.

They swayed lightly, wrapped in warm embrace, untethered for the moment by duties and responsibilities, in perfect harmony.


End file.
